A Chance
by novella07
Summary: “Lily,” his voice caresses my name. “I’m not asking for a declaration of love. All I’m asking for is a chance.”


I want to scream. Better yet, I want to punch someone. Actually, I want to punch HIM. How could HE have done that to me? He knows I hate him, yet he went ahead and did it anyway. The idiotic, insufferable prat. Did I ever say I wanted him to…to...to…do that? I don't think so! I never even hinted towards it. Well…okay…I might have been flirting with him…sort of. But that's beside the point.

James Potter is an intolerable git that I might possibly be in love with. No! No! No! I refuse to be in love with that…git. I really need to come up with some more words for him. Maybe I should get out my Thesaurus. I frown. And that is why everyone calls me a geek.

Okay, so James Potter is the smart, talented, handsome Quidditch prodigy and I, Lily Evans, am nothing like that. In fact, I am as far in the opposite direction as a girl could possibly be. I am a geek who likes to read. I even read my dictionary for fun sometimes! And I love to write essays for class. I love to research the topic and then write an essay that gives me an 'O'. HE just like to ride on that idiotic broom and flirt with…oh, guess who? Me!

I am currently avoiding him and I'm doing a fairly good job of it, if I do say so myself. I am hiding in the Room of Requirement trying to concentrate on reading my favorite book _Mansfield Park _by Jane Austen. Trying to concentrate…because I can't get my mind off of HIM!

The thing is I am Lily Evans and he is James Potter. We are known for hating each other. Well, I am known for hating him. He is known for fancying me. I am known for being the one girl he can't get and here he's almost got me. We have our reputations. He has the reputation as Head Marauder, Quidditch Captain, Head Boy, and the man…I mean, boy…behind all the pranks. I have the reputation as the rule abiding Head Girl who likes to read and can't stand James Potter. I also am known for my spitfire temper. I will admit it. I dreadfully need anger management.

Sometimes, I swear the smallest thing sets me off...especially when it comes to James Potter. He knows exactly how to tick me off and it drives me crazy. He knows what to say to infuriate me and he knows what to do to get my attention. And he NEVER gets mad at me! He NEVER yells back at me! It can't be called a fight, because he just sits there and takes my cutting remarks!

And then today, he goes and gives me the most amazing…perfect…astonishing…snog of my very meager experience. Meager because of…guess who? HIM! James scares off every possible boy who has any interest in me. Few candidates have made it to the boyfriend/girlfriend stage because of bloody Potter. He has claimed me as his even though I can't stand him! And why…oh why…did I reciprocate his kiss?

Probably because it finally happened. He has driven me to mental instability. I am going to be moved to an insane asylum with white walls where I'll rock back and forth trying to get the voices in my head to leave. And it will be all HIS fault.

I glance at my watch. It is getting late and I need to get back to my dormitory otherwise I will be breaking my reputation as rule abider. It is already bad enough that James is going to ruin my reputation by telling everyone about our bloody snog. I have to keep some semblence of my reputation. I shove my book in my purse and tentatively leave my sweet haven.

The halls are silent as I make my way to the Gryffindor common room. The halls are no longer lit and I mutter a quick incantation and my wand lights up. I am scared to death that a professor is going to find me out here. I have never received a detention and would like to leave Hogwarts as…probably…the only student to never receive a detention.

And then I feel a hand covering my mouth and an arm pulling me into an empty broom closet. I look up and groan. It is none other than James Potter.

I frown. "This is kidnapping, Potter," I snap.

And that's when I notice.

James Potter is _furious_.

_James Potter _is furious.

_James Potter _is furious _with me. _

He has never showed any anger towards me and now I can see his eyes blazing with fury. His hair is messier than ever and his arms are crossed in front of his chest.

"I don't care," he snaps.

I back up in fear. I can't even gather up any ounce of courage. Why am I in Gryffindor again? I have no earthly idea.

"Do you know how worried I was, Evans?" he demands loudly after pointing his wand at the door. "I looked for you everywhere and I couldn't find you. I thought…" he paused before continuing. "Where did you go? You weren't in the castle! I even checked Hogsmeade! And I even checked the Forbidden Forest…"

I open my mouth to respond, but he glares at me. I am speechless. I don't think I have ever seen him glare at me. I've seen him get angry at Snape before and that was scary. I remember thinking I was glad he wasn't angry with me.

But…I think…James might be angrier with me…than he ever was with Snape.

"Do you have any idea how confused I was?" he asks even louder. "We kiss and then you run off and disappear completely!"

I once again try to respond, but he silences me with another glare.

That is when I get a little annoyed. "Well, why the heck did you kiss me?" I demand. "It's not like I wanted to kiss you!"

I watch as a look of hurt crosses his handsome features. "Then why the heck did you kiss me back?" he demands, as he steps closer to me.

I realize then how small the broom closet actually is. I back up and meet the wall. "I…I…" I can't figure out what to say to that. I don't even know why I kissed him back. It is as much a mystery to me as it is to him. "I don't know!" I yell, hoping to death know one hears us. "It just happened!"

"And you didn't feel anything at all?" he questions me.

I feel very small pressed up against the wall, I realize. James is effortlessly towering over me. Did I feel anything when he kissed me? I know that answer. What I don't know, is what to tell James.

I am confused. More so than I have ever been in my life. I have no idea what I actually feel. I know I can't stand to see the look of pain in his eyes as he waits for my answer. I know I felt fireworks and every other corny cliché feeling when he kissed me. I know I want him to kiss me right now in this shady broom closet. And I know I hate that I am doing this to him. But that is all I know.

Do I have a tiny crush on him? Do I still hate him? Am I head over heels in love with him? I don't know! I can almost hear Alice's voice in my head. "There's a fine line between love and hate." She likes to say that often and for the first time it kind of makes sense.

Maybe…I hated him because I didn't want to fancy him. Alice has told me time and time again that I show more passion with James than I have ever showed with any of my boyfriends. And when we kissed…there had been more passion between us than I had ever felt in my life.

But what did that mean? I look up at him and I say the words softly. "I don't know."

He looks disappointed and confused. "How can you not know?" he asks, his voice a mere whisper.

Is the answer as obvious as he thinks, I wonder. I find myself talking softly, telling him exactly what I think. "I…know I felt something…when we…when it happened. I just don't know what. I mean…I was supposed to hate you…wasn't I? And then…you kissed me and everything changed. That wasn't supposed to happen, was it?

He frowns and moves his hand to my face. I can feel electricity underneath his fingertips and I want to forget all my worries.

"Lily," his voice caresses my name. "I'm not asking for a declaration of love or…even like. All I'm asking for is a chance."

A chance. A chance to be what he wants. A chance to be his. The thought sparks a thrill of happiness in me. He isn't asking more than I am ready to give. He just wants a chance to see what we could have. He wants a chance to show me his true colors. All he wants is a chance. And after all I've put him through, I know I can give him that much.

"Okay," I whisper and then his lips descend on mine. I can feel happiness exploding in my chest. I have no idea what all this means. I am no less confused than I was seconds ago, but I know one thing. James and I may not be meant to be together, but maybe we are. We may not be the perfect couple, but maybe we will be. We may not be able to pull this off, but maybe...just maybe…we'll be the couple everyone is talking about a hundred years from now. Maybe we will become the couple that is so in love nothing can break us apart. Maybe we are meant to be.

That is what this is all about. That is what his kisses mean and that is what his arms around me means. That is what my hand in his means and that is what this feeling in my chest means. A chance. A chance to be Lily Evans and James Potter. It is simply that. A chance.


End file.
